Boiler tube cleaner



y 9, 1931. H. STALEY BOILER TUBE CLEAN-ER Filed March 5, 1928 2Sheets-Shget -1 KW? INVENTOR.

H. L. STALEY BOILER TUBE CLEANER Filed March 5. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

Patented May 19, 1931 arts.

HARRISON L. STALEY, OF MARTIN'S VILLE, INDIANA BOILER TUBE CLEANERApplication filed March '5,

This-invention relates torotary cleaners which are employed for removingscale from boiler tubes and particularly to the type carried on the endof a flexible shaft or universal joint for cleaning bent or curvedtubes, such cleaners comprising a rotary head carrying rotatable toothedcutters mounted on arms that extend beyond the body of the cleaner andwhich are thrown outwardly against the scale by centrifugal force.

Tube cleaners of this type have heretofore been arranged withindependently swinging arms which permit the cleaner to be thrown out ofbalance when one of the arm members is forced-inwardly by striking aprojecting piece of scale, such movementproducing a severepounding ofthe head in the tube and causing thereby great damage to cutter parts.Further, cleaners of this type have been equipped with swinging 'armmembers movably secured to the body by rivets, an arrangement whichprohibits the making of quick repairs to the head, and'furthermore, suchcleaners have been provided with pivots or trunnions that carry all therearward thrust of the arm which causes them to break as the head isforced through the tube.

It is the object ofmy invention, first, to provide a tube cleaner freeof rivet connections so that repairs to it can be easily and quicklymade, second, to provide a cleaner with facilities for eliminating allthe rearward thrust of the arm members from the pivot pins or trunnions,third, to provide means for balancing the cleaner byoperativelyconnecting the swinging arms in pairs, so that a movement ofone arm produces a like movement of-the connected arm, and fourth, toprovide a cleaner in-which the centrifugal pressure of one arm member istransferred by connecting means through the body and utilized by theopposite arm in the scale removing process.

YVith these and other desirable objects in view, reference is made tothe accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of thetool with rear pair of arms expanded; Figure 2 is a sectional viewshowing front pair of arms in closed position;

7 tion shown in Figure 8.

1928. Serial No. 259,037.

Figure 3 is an end view of the body with all parts removed Figure 4 is aperspective view of one of the arms; Figure 5 is a side view of a cutterpin; Figure 6 is a side view of a pivot pin or trunnion; Figure 7 aperspective of a sliding thrust block; Figure 8 a modified form of meansfor connecting the arm to body; Figure 9 a modified form of a pivot pinor trunnion to be used in modifica i In the drawings, the numeral 2represents the body of the cleaner which has a central screw connection3 for rotating the head and preferablyfour radially disposedlongitudinal slots 4; which are connected in pairs through the body bytransverse slots 5, the same being at right angles to each other, one inthe front portion of the body and theother in the rear. V Outwardlyswinging arms 6 are pivoted in the longitudinal slots by pins 17, saidarms having inwardly projecting lugs 7 with gear teeth thereon toconnect operatively said arms in pairs through the transverse slotsinthe body. I As one pair of arms is pivoted in the forward part of thebody,l find it necessary to mount slidable thrust blocks 8 in thelongi-' tudinal slots on pins 9 to afford connecting means between theforward pair of arms and the threaded annular plate-l0. V

The arms are further provided with a longitudinal'bore or aperture toreceive a shaft orcutter pin 11; these shafts or pins have heads andproject from the forward end of the arm to form journals for cutters 12which are rotatably mounted between the head of the bolt and'thefrontend of the arm. To secure these shafts to the arms agroove is outin them transversely near the inward end to coincide with holes18 in theswinging arm for receiving pin 13. These holes in the arms are solocated that when the arms iare'at their farthest outward position thevpins still remain ithin the confines ofthe longitudinal slots. It isdesirable that the 'rearend 14 of the arm 6 be made circular-to allow asliding contact with the annular plate 10 and thrust block 8 in theirswingingv movement, and that the under side 15 of the arm be cut at anangle so as to engagethe bottom of the lon 10g gitudinal slot to limitthe outward movement of the swinging arm.

While a plural number of gear teeth may. be cut on the inwardlyprojecting lugs 7, I

swinging arm 6 to the body are provided by'a transverse key-hole slot inthe arm formed by same being of diiierent diameters. 1 have found thatthe easiest way or" producing a hole of this shape is to first bore ahole of the larger diameter, plug it up with a metal of equal densityand then bore the smaller intersecting hole, removing the plugthereafter. It is necessary that the part of the aperture desig nated bythe number 16a be least a halfcin cle and connected to hole 16 by anopening equal to its diameter. Holes corresponding in size tothediameter of the part hole 16 are provided in the side walls o1 thelongitudinal slots 5. A pivot pin or trunion-l? is formed with heads 19having the same diameter as the part hole 16 and with a central body 20having a diameter equal to that of the part hole 16a, the said centralbody portion 20 having a length equal to the width ofthe arm. 1

To assemble head thrust blocks 8 are slidably mounted in thelongitudinal slots l on the fixed pins 9 and the front pair of armsplaced in position with part hole 160i the arm in alignment with theholes in the body menber. The pivot pin 17 is then passed through thealigning holes and. the'arms forced vforward which brings the surface ofthe arm around the part hole 16a between the heads of the pivot pin. Inlike manner the rear pair of arms is secured in the body after which theannular threaded plate 10 issecured firmly against the end of the bodyand all the parts are thereby locked in position. It will thus be seenby this assembly plan that the cleaner can be easily dismounted andparts replaced without loss of time.

In the arrangements of parts as herein described, it will be observedthat the rearward thrust of the arms caused by the cleaner being forcedagainst the scale in: the tube is not carri ed'by pins 17, but iscarried by the an nular plate 10 as the part hole 16 permits a rearwardmovement of the arm.

A modified plan for locking the arms in i the body member is shown inFigure 8. In

.L i I I blllS modification holes a a are bored in the side walls of thelongitudinal slots to form a key-hole slot and. a hole equal to thediameter of the part'hole a is bored transversely through the swingingarm 6. A pivotpin I) having a central body section equal in diameter topart hole a and reduced end I sections equal in diameter to thepart holea the pin.

as heretofore indicated for the preferred deslgn.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new:

1. In a tube cleaner, a head provided with a plurality of diametricallyopposed longitudinal slots, transverse slots connecting saidlongitudinal slots, arms carrying rotatable cutters pivoted in saidlongitudinal slots and means insaid-transverse slots to connectoperatively the arms in pairs. two intersectlng hole-segments 16, 16a,the- 2.- Ina" tube cleaner provided with a plurality of diametricallyopposed longitudinal slots, transverse slots'through the body connectingsaid longitudinal slots, outwardly swinging arms carrylng cuttersengaging the longitudinal slots, inwardly pro ecting lugs onthe armsengaging the transverse slots, in-

termeshing gear teeth. on the projecting lugs to connect operatively thearms in'pairs, said arms having key-hole slots therein, pivot pinspassing through said slotsand each havinga reducedcentral section, andscrew means to move the arms longitudinally to lockingly engage saidreduced centraljsections, of the pivot pinswiththenarrower portions ofsaid slots. r H11 i 3. Ina tubecleaner' comprising a rotary head havingtwo pairs of diametrically op posed longitudinal slot-stherein,transverse slots through the body connecting the longitudinal slots npairs, two pairs of outward .ly swinging arms carrying rotatable toothedcutters mounted in the longitudinal slots,

means in the transverse slots to connect op,-

eratively the swinging arms in pairs, pivot pins adapted to, bepositioned through the side walls of the longitudinal slots and meansfor locking'the pivotpins-in thebody by a forward movement of theswinging arms. I

4. The combination of a tube cleanerh'aving a body, an outwardlyswinging arm carrying a rotatable tooth-ed cutter thereon and pivoted insaid body, saidarm-having. a keyhole slot therein the greater width ofwhich is nearerthe free end of the arm, a pivot pin having two endsections coinciding in diam: eter with said greater width, and-acentralreduced section coinciding with the smaller width of said s1ot,and meansto move; said arm forwardly to lockingly' engage; said smaller widthwith said centralsection of nann son L. i STALEY,

